Beet-harvester.



w G. ACKERMAN BEET HARVESTER'.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30. 19M.

G. ACKERMAN.

. BEET HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED Nov "30, 1914.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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BEET-HAE-VESTER Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr; so, 1915.

Application filed iioveinlber 30, 191%. Serial No. 874,840.

make and use the same.

This invention relates to beet harvesters and the primary object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for topping and uprooting the beets and depositing them in a suitable type of wagon or other container. Another object of this invention is to pro vide, in a boot harvester construction, a pair of rotatable drums which have a plurality of forked members secured to the periphery thereof for engaging the beets anduproot ing'the some and elevating thorn for deposit upon a suitable conveyer.v

Another object of this invention is tach to the uprooting bracket ting blades for severing the tops beets during the uprogting; thereof.

"With the foregoing and other obj etc in view this invention consists in such novel to atfeatures oi construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the so companying drawings and claimed.

' In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:-

, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the insproved b'oet harvester. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the beet hervester. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the beet harvester, end Fig. 4 is a detail Perspective view of one of the uprooting and topping members.

Referring more particularly to the draw- I ings, 1 designates the supporting platform of the beet harvester which has rotatably suspended therebeneeth front and rear axles 2 and 3 upon which are mounted traction wheels 4. The platform 1 supported by brackets 5 which are scour surface thereof and extend or ly therethe upper brackets 5 have a second shaft 8 rotetably ournaled therein and positioned directly beneath and in alinem'ent with the shaft 6. The shaft 8 is rotated by the shaft 6 through the meshing of gears 9 and 10. Thegear 10 is mounted upon a sleeve 11 which is feathered'u'pon the shaft 6. The sleeve 11 has a shifting lever 12 connected thereto which is pivotelly connected at 13 to a bracket arm 1% which is formed upon the bracket 5 and upon oscillatory movement of the lever the gear 10 may be moved longitudinally upon the shaft for moving it into or out of meshing engagement with the gear 9 for causing the shaft 8 to rotate by the rotation of the shaft 6.

lhe shaft 8-isoperatively connected to a shaft 15, which is positioned forwardly thereof and is rotatably supported by suitable journaling brackets 16 which are s ecured to the upper surface of the platform 1. The shaft 15 is operatively connected to the shaft 8 by e sprocket chain 17 which "passes about sprockets 18 and 19, which ere mount- 7 ed. upon the shafts 15 and 6 respectively.

Theshaft 15 has drums 20 and 21 mounted thereupon for'synchronous rotation with the shaft. The drums 20 and 21 extend through openings 22 and 23 respectively which are formed in the supporting. plat;

have their connected portions 26 securely:

attached to the peripheries ofthe drums 20 and 21, and the forks 27 and 28 thereof are bent outwardly for spacing from. the periphery of the drum, for insertion into the ground upon opposite'sides of a beet for engaging the beet and uprooting the same upon rotation of? the drum. The forked members 25 have cutting blades 29 secured thereto at a short distance rearwardly and upwardly from the point oi conjunction oi the arms 27 and 28, which cutting knife projects forwardly in a plane parallel with the arms 27 and 28 and is adapted for engaging the tops of the beetswhile the fork engages the beet body, and severing the top from the beet proper.

After the tops have been severed from the beets, the rotation of the drums 20 and 21 will elevate the beets, and carry them around, depositing them upon conveyers 30 and 31. The conveyors 30 and 31 are supported by the platform Land at an incline thereto by the brackets 32 which. extend vertically from the upper surface of the platform as is clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The lower end of the conveyers 30 and 31 is propelled by drums or rollers 34 which are mounted upon shaft 31. The shaft 35 is journaled transversely of the supporting platform. 1 and is operatively connected to the shaft 8 by a sprocket 35, which sprocket passes about suitable sprocket wheels 36 and 37 which are mounted upon the shafts 35 and 8 respectively. The conveyors 30 and 31 extend rearwardly of the rear end of the harvester and are provided for depositing the beets into a wagon as indicated at 4-0 in the drawings, for conveyance to a suitable place of storage.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the advantages of construction and of the method of operation of the improved beet harvester Will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains and, while in the foregoing description the principle of the operatipn of the improved beet harvester has been described together with various features of construction, it is to be understood that certain minor features of construction combination and arrangement of parts may be altered to suit practical conditions provided such alterations are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

What is claimed is 1. In a beet harvester structure, a supporting platform, a drum rotatably carried by said platform, means for rotating said drum by the traction of the harvester structure, a plurality of forked members secured to the periphery of said drum and in-spaced relation to each other, said forked members having their arms bent outwardly and spaced from'the peripheries of said drum for engaging beets and uprooting them upon the rotation of said drum, cutting blades secured to said forked members for cutting the tops from the beets upon the uprooting thereof bV said forks.

2. In a beet harvester structure, a supporting platform having a longitudinally extending opening formed therein, a drum rotatably carried by said platform and ex tending through said opening, a plurality of forked members secured to the periphery of said drum in spaced relation to each other, said forked members having their arms bent outwardly and spaced from the periphery of said drum, cutting blades secured to said forked members for cutting the'tops from the beets, traction axles carried by said sup porting structure, means for operatively connecting said drum to said traction axles for rotating said drums upon the rotation of said axle, and means for throwing said drum into or out of operative connection with said traction axle. I

In t'estimon whereof I aflix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

WILLIAM G. AGKERMAN.

\Vitnesses CHARLES BEOKENHAUER, A. L. KRAUSE. 

